Local

Man Dies in Rappahannock River Tuesday,;One Man Rescued

by Deirdre Blakeposted Aug 14 2012 5:34PM

A call for a disturbance at the City Dock off Sophia Steet in Fredericksburg turns to tragegy Tuesday afternoon.
Fredericksburg Police Spokeswoman Natatia Bledsoe says the call of a disturbance came in about 1:30 p.m. The caller said that there was an intoxicated man at the dock, making a scene and trying to drive his scooter away from the area.
When an officer arrived, they instead found a man in the Rappahannock River, where it is about eight feet deep, hanging on to a blockhead by the dock to stay above water. It took several minutes for it to be revealed that there was a second man that had been there, but was in the water. Witnesses and the man in the water said they had not seen him for several minutes.
Rescue crews from Fredericksburg and Stafford were called. When they arrived, a rescue boat was launched and pulled the first man from the water. The second man was found around 2:00 p.m. by divers, unconscious. CPR was started immediately and continued in an ambulance, on the way to Mary Washington Hospital. He was later pronounced dead.
Bledsoe says the investigation continues, but they believe that the deceased man was causing the disturbance at the dock that led to the initial call to police. Witnesses say he was fighting with people in the area and he and the rescued man went off the dock, into the water.